Azunai
Azunai was a Human warrior who led the resistance against the Utgard tyrant, Zaramoth the Unmaker. He confronted the giant on the place known today as the Plain of Tears, where the legendary meeting of Zaramoth's sword and Azunai's shield split the world, and brought about the end of the First Age of Man. It is said that he rose to godhood for his deeds on Aranna, and he is worshiped across the continent as a protector of the innocent, and champion of the people. Biography Azunai the Man Azunai was born to the chieftain of a tribe that dwelt in the area that is now the westernmost portion of the Plain of Tears, the Azunite Desert. As a boy, he played in a spring that, unknown to him, was a fount for the magical River of Souls that ran beneath the land. By this time, the Dark Wizards loyal to Zaramoth had sealed all known access to the River, in order to control the flow of magic on Aranna; yet the young Azunai spent years visiting the cave near his home, the powerful magics there slowly becoming infused into his body. When Azunai succeeded his father as chieftain, he proclaimed that the use of magic was a right of all peoples, and it was this heretical stance that pitted him against Zaramoth, who had now risen to become the ruler of the vast Empire of Stars to the north. Raising a resistance to battle Zaramoth's legions, Azunai became a great hero and leader during this conflict, known as the War of Legions. Seeking to counter the vile sword that Zaramoth wielded, Azunai ventured into the Agallan Peaks, to seek out the last of the Agallan giants. He convinced them to forge him a magical shield, which he carried into battle when at last he met the evil tyrant. Their legendary clash ended in both of their deaths, as a magical explosion, emanating from place where the two artifacts they held had met, spread across all of Aranna, bringing devastation and change with it. This event has come to have many names: the First Cataclysm, the Endtime, Turmanar. Azunai the God After his death, the deeds of Azunai were not forgotten. In many ways, he was seen as a messianic figure, who had saved the people of the world from the tyranny of Zaramoth and his hordes. Some linked Azunai to visions of a golden-haired youth that predated the Empire of Stars, and there were even whispers that he was not a man at all, but a god sent down to Aranna in order to protect it from evil. It is unknown if there is any truth to these claims. Regardless, a great religion sprung up around the belief that Azunai the Defender had risen to godhood for what he had done in his mortal life, and even in far-off Ehb and the ancient isle of Utrae, word of this man-turned-god spread. The fragments of his shield, the four Aegis, were seen as holy relics, and were heavily guarded to prevent their formidable powers from falling into the hands of those who would misuse them. Category:Characters